GEORGETOWN, Texas—A spark near the end of the first half from Nathan Leveque helped the Oglethorpe men's soccer team battle even against No. 13 Southwestern in the second half, but a pair of early goals from the Pirates sent the Stormy Petrels to a 2-1 defeat Friday night in a Southern Athletic Association matchup.
It was actually less a spark and more a rocket, as Leveque found the back of the net from a blast roughly 25 yards out. The Petrels were on a counterattack, and Leveque received a pass from Mason Reagan in some traffic in the middle of the field. Leveque turned, took a couple of dribbles, then buried his team-leading third goal of the season on a shot from his left foot.
The goal cut Southwestern's lead in half, but despite playing the nationally ranked Pirates even in the second half, it was not enough. Southwestern first got on the board in the fifth minute on a great shot, also from long range, by Daniel Sartorio, who dinged it off the inside of the left post past goalkeeper Sebastian Lewis.
The goal was only Lewis's second goal allowed this season within the run of play, as the sophomore has seen his other four goals against come via penalty kick.
Southwestern doubled the lead with another goal in the 36th minute as Cooper Pero scored for the 2-0 lead.
Match Notes
- Lewis made seven saves in the loss after facing a total of 24 shots.
- Southwestern had the advantage on corner kicks at 9-3.
- Shawn Litt accounted for two of Oglethorpe's seven shots in the match.
- After entering the "receiving votes" category of the national top-25 poll in the first week of the season, the Pirates leapt to No. 11 nationally in the second week and have held steady in the top 13 since.
Up Next
Oglethorpe closes the weekend at Trinity Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. It will be the final road game of the season as the Petrels then come home for their final three before hosting the SAA tournament.
